"He must become greater; I must become less."
Most of us are OK with the first part of this verse, but we struggle with the second.
It goes against our nature to try to decrease in importance. What we desire is for Christ to increase and we increase with Him.
The problem with that scenario is our job description. We are flashlights, used to help others find the light switch. Individually and collectively the church is supposed to lead others to Christ. As mere reflections of His love we, by definition, will fade once our convert finds the source of love.
Understanding this verse can reduce anxiety and confusion for us. It is not that we are to decrease by loving less, or not trying as hard....it is simply the nature of the arrangement. Once the sun appears the brightness of the stars fade. The stars have not changed, the environment of the viewer has.
Can we really "die with Christ" and have Him live through us?
The enemies' original weapon is "self ____" - conceit, Pity, loathing, absorption... Fill in the blank. What ever you put there will be a distraction because it is still about you.
Even the misinterpretation of this verse, resulting in a conscious self-centered humility, is destructive. The goal is not to think low of yourself, it's to not think of yourself at all.
We must decrease, we must disappear...it must be Christ living in us. If we can get there, it makes us immune to all insults, compliments, attacks, and praises. All of those are powerless to distract us if our goal is to show people the "light switch".
Strive this week to disappear.
Not to feel good about yourself, not to feel bad about your self...disappear.
Have your needs met so completely in Christ that you need nothing but the opportunity to show His love to others.
“There are two types of people--those who come into a room and say, ' here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are."
―Frederick L Collins
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Matthew 16:18 7/17/17*15*
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Why did Jesus choose Peter?
Peter is the linebacker of the Apostles. He reacts. He rushes in. He is passionate and spontaneous.
His mistakes are documented in scripture more than any other Apostle:
- he almost drowned when he walked on water - and was reprimanded.
- he cut off a soldiers ear in the garden defending Christ - and was reprimanded.
- he told Jesus that he would not allow Him to be crucified - and was reprimanded.
- he said he would die before denying Christ - and was reprimanded with a look, after denying Him the third time.
- and the list goes on and on...Why build the church on him?
The answer is in Peter's bold proclamation that Jesus was the "Christ...the Son of the living God!" Peter knew who, and what, Jesus was, and that moved him to action. This is the attribute that made Peter the foundation that hell could not prevail against.
His passion for God moved him and overpowered any fear of failure. He was not so concerned about his reputation that he was afraid to act. Peter was "all in"...with nothing held back, and that is what God used to build the church.
Today we suffer paralysis by committee. We hedge every bet, and make sure we have no possibility of embarrassment before we act. Each move is calculated to be sure we are protected. We have become so fearful of ridicule that we choose not to try.
Nothing can be built that way.
We must become men who realize "He is the Christ, the son of the living God". And that knowledge must eliminate all hesitation.
Be a little reckless with your faith today. If God prompts you to speak, start talking. If God whispers for you to help someone, do it. If someone needs something you can provide, give it to them.
God builds things with people who move.
Get out of the boat. You will probably get wet, but you also might walk on water.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
Why did Jesus choose Peter?
Peter is the linebacker of the Apostles. He reacts. He rushes in. He is passionate and spontaneous.
His mistakes are documented in scripture more than any other Apostle:
- he almost drowned when he walked on water - and was reprimanded.
- he cut off a soldiers ear in the garden defending Christ - and was reprimanded.
- he told Jesus that he would not allow Him to be crucified - and was reprimanded.
- he said he would die before denying Christ - and was reprimanded with a look, after denying Him the third time.
- and the list goes on and on...Why build the church on him?
The answer is in Peter's bold proclamation that Jesus was the "Christ...the Son of the living God!" Peter knew who, and what, Jesus was, and that moved him to action. This is the attribute that made Peter the foundation that hell could not prevail against.
His passion for God moved him and overpowered any fear of failure. He was not so concerned about his reputation that he was afraid to act. Peter was "all in"...with nothing held back, and that is what God used to build the church.
Today we suffer paralysis by committee. We hedge every bet, and make sure we have no possibility of embarrassment before we act. Each move is calculated to be sure we are protected. We have become so fearful of ridicule that we choose not to try.
Nothing can be built that way.
We must become men who realize "He is the Christ, the son of the living God". And that knowledge must eliminate all hesitation.
Be a little reckless with your faith today. If God prompts you to speak, start talking. If God whispers for you to help someone, do it. If someone needs something you can provide, give it to them.
God builds things with people who move.
Get out of the boat. You will probably get wet, but you also might walk on water.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Matthew 6:25 7/11/2017*8*
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"
We are a nation of worker ants, never disconnected from a phone that drives our lives minute by minute.
Personal computers did not emerge until the 1980's. And Apple didn't introduced the Iphone until 2007. Yet somehow we survived prior to that. We paid bills, and balanced check books without computers, and managed businesses, and relationships without constant contact.
Computers were introduced as a way to make us more efficient and provide more leisure time. But we now work longer hours than ever before with electronic leashes that allow us to be on call 24/7. Anxiety and stress have skyrocketed, and our battery and reception level dictate our mood.
Jesus said life is more than that.
Relax and simplify.
Don't allow the urgent to replace the important. Stay focused on the things that matter. Answer the question that Christ asked ... Isn't life more than what you have made it?
If it is, do something about it. You do not have to mindlessly follow the crowd. Make your own plan based on what you think matters. Don't waste another minute chasing things you don't need.
Try an experiment today and turn off all your electronics for a few minutes. Open a bible, spend some time in prayer and enjoy being still. Determine what is important in your life, and what is not.
Life is much more than what you purchase. Go deeper. Simplify your life and make sure you don't miss the dance obsessing over what you are going to wear.
"Our life is frittered away by detail....Simplify, simplify."
- Henry David Thoreau
We are a nation of worker ants, never disconnected from a phone that drives our lives minute by minute.
Personal computers did not emerge until the 1980's. And Apple didn't introduced the Iphone until 2007. Yet somehow we survived prior to that. We paid bills, and balanced check books without computers, and managed businesses, and relationships without constant contact.
Computers were introduced as a way to make us more efficient and provide more leisure time. But we now work longer hours than ever before with electronic leashes that allow us to be on call 24/7. Anxiety and stress have skyrocketed, and our battery and reception level dictate our mood.
Jesus said life is more than that.
Relax and simplify.
Don't allow the urgent to replace the important. Stay focused on the things that matter. Answer the question that Christ asked ... Isn't life more than what you have made it?
If it is, do something about it. You do not have to mindlessly follow the crowd. Make your own plan based on what you think matters. Don't waste another minute chasing things you don't need.
Try an experiment today and turn off all your electronics for a few minutes. Open a bible, spend some time in prayer and enjoy being still. Determine what is important in your life, and what is not.
Life is much more than what you purchase. Go deeper. Simplify your life and make sure you don't miss the dance obsessing over what you are going to wear.
"Our life is frittered away by detail....Simplify, simplify."
- Henry David Thoreau
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
2 Corinthians 5:2 Romans 8:38 7/4/2017*1*
"For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling"
We are spiritually homeless.
Paul refers to our earthly bodies as tents, as temporary dwellings that we live in, while our eternal dwelling is being prepared.
We are in essence staying on the street until we reach our heavenly home.
Why then do we waste our days trying to avoid death, rather than living life? Why focus so much on postponing dying, that we don't take time to live?
What if we changed our mind-set? Not a morbid obsession with death, but a change in the way we view it. If we are in Christ, death has lost it's sting. In fact, it is a graduation, a promotion. Not something to be feared, but instead a natural part of our pilgrimage. And certainly not the part that deserves all our attention.
We don't have much input into the beginning, or the end of our lives...but we have lots of control over the middle. Let's live today focused on today. Trust God. Don't toss the word "faith" around flippantly...really use it. Trust God and stop obsessing about things that are in bigger hands than yours.
Remove that constant undercurrent of fear and dread in your life. Exercise your faith in God and use your energy to live with reckless joy and abandon. Live each moment to its fullest, comfortable in the fact that God has ordained your days. If you'll do this you may discover that the enemy has continually robbed you of today, by making you worry about tomorrow.
Why worry about an event that takes away your tent and gives you a mansion? Instead enjoy the camp out....you have things to do now, so do them. But know that the joy to come will be beyond your ability to imagine.
Death is a paper tiger...it has been gutted by the cross. Don't let the fear of it rob you of another minute.
Rest in the fact that today is a simply a glorious continuation of the eternal relationship God purchased for you at Calvary. And "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there’s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see." - Helen Keller
We are spiritually homeless.
Paul refers to our earthly bodies as tents, as temporary dwellings that we live in, while our eternal dwelling is being prepared.
We are in essence staying on the street until we reach our heavenly home.
Why then do we waste our days trying to avoid death, rather than living life? Why focus so much on postponing dying, that we don't take time to live?
What if we changed our mind-set? Not a morbid obsession with death, but a change in the way we view it. If we are in Christ, death has lost it's sting. In fact, it is a graduation, a promotion. Not something to be feared, but instead a natural part of our pilgrimage. And certainly not the part that deserves all our attention.
We don't have much input into the beginning, or the end of our lives...but we have lots of control over the middle. Let's live today focused on today. Trust God. Don't toss the word "faith" around flippantly...really use it. Trust God and stop obsessing about things that are in bigger hands than yours.
Remove that constant undercurrent of fear and dread in your life. Exercise your faith in God and use your energy to live with reckless joy and abandon. Live each moment to its fullest, comfortable in the fact that God has ordained your days. If you'll do this you may discover that the enemy has continually robbed you of today, by making you worry about tomorrow.
Why worry about an event that takes away your tent and gives you a mansion? Instead enjoy the camp out....you have things to do now, so do them. But know that the joy to come will be beyond your ability to imagine.
Death is a paper tiger...it has been gutted by the cross. Don't let the fear of it rob you of another minute.
Rest in the fact that today is a simply a glorious continuation of the eternal relationship God purchased for you at Calvary. And "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there’s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see." - Helen Keller
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